The field of the invention is cooking ovens and the invention relates more particularly to ovens of the type used to commercially bake, broil or otherwise cook meats, baked goods and other foods. With the increased use of frozen dinners, the moisture content in the meat contained in a frozen dinner has become more critical. Since microwave cooking tends to heat water, it is important that sufficient water be retained in the meat so that after it is microwaved it has the desired flavor and texture.
Many patents have been granted on continuous cooking ovens. For instance the Straub U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,336 shows a moving belt with upper and lower burners, a center exhaust duct is provided and no provision is made for moisture control of the finished product.
The Szabrak et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,178 also uses many burners along the length of the oven. The Nerthling U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,660 utilizes a continuous moving belt with radiant heaters above and below the food to be cooked. Burners are also used and the exhaust vent is positioned along one side of the entire length of the oven.
The Fagerstrom et al patent shows an electrical heating device over which air is passed after which it passes through channels above and below the product to be cooked. The cooking vapors are vented at points along the oven. The Caridis et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,241 shows a recirculating oven wherein a flame is fed into an upper chamber and then passes in a u-shaped path into the lower chamber where the product to be cooked is located. A certain amount of cooking vapors is exhausted at both ends of the oven.
A charmaker is shown in the Fetzer U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,201 which uses many rings which are heated and ride on the upper surface of the food product. The Baker et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,509 utilizes electric heating elements and recirculated air which passes through tubes at the end of the oven and flows against the upper and lower surface of the food to be cooked.
The Caridis et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,585 is similar in structure to U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,241 and is basically a recirculation system wherein water vapor is injected into the moving stream of process vapor to control the temperature and moisture content.
The Benson et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,942 shows a branding process utilizing an oversized screen with upper and lower burners, the heat from which it is exhausted from the branding unit. The Baker U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,286 is a small continuous broiler which has three side-by-side conveyors. The Leary et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,629 is a continuous cooking oven which has two very separate cooking zones, both zones utilize recirculation of the cooking vapors. Lastly, the Barkhau et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,497 cooks food in a closed bottom tray and utilizes air high velocity impingement nozzles to accomplish the cooking. The air is recirculated.
Although one would think that recirculation of cooking vapor would result in an efficient unit, this is not the case. Since ovens must be constructed in a manner so that they can be easily and completely cleaned, it is not practical to place an outer layer of insulation on the oven. Therefore, the large additional surface area that is required to bring about recirculation radiates more than the amount of heat saved in recirculation. Furthermore, for some products such as pork, the recirculation process results in an undesirable pink color in the meat even though it is completely cooked. Therefore, an oven which is more efficient in the use of heat would be highly desirable. Still further, it is useful to be able to cook various different types of food products requiring a wide range of controls for heat temperature and humidity.